Belgium, another giant facing Puerto Rico at the Women’s Basketball World Cup

After opening the Berlin World Cup with a loss to Australia, Puerto Rico now faces another heavyweight: Belgium, the reigning European champion.

The Puerto Rican team will rest Saturday before holding a practice session at the Uber Arena, where it will prepare for Sunday’s game. Puerto Rico struggled at the start against Australia but recovered to compete through the second quarter and much of the third. Australia ultimately pulled away behind Steph Talbot’s outside shooting and Ezi Magbegor’s strength inside.

Puerto Rico coach Jerry Batista said the team must “correct the small details” after the defeat. To beat teams of Australia’s or Belgium’s caliber, he said, Puerto Rico must “play almost perfectly.” That will require greater discipline in attack, better ball movement and more efficiency, Batista said.

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correct the small details

Belgium began the tournament with an 89-75 win over Turkey, although the scoreline masked a close contest that Turkey kept competitive until the third period. Emma Meesseman leads Belgium inside. She became the player with the most EuroLeague Women titles after winning her seventh European club championship with Fenerbahçe in Zaragoza, Spain, in May. Belgium also relies on a fast-moving perimeter attack led by Julie Allemand and Julie Vanloo.

The teams last met at the 2022 World Cup in Sydney, where Puerto Rico came within three points of an upset. A basket by Kiara Linskens decided that game for Belgium, despite a spectacular performance from Arella Guirantes, who scored 27 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and posted a 33 valuation.

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play almost perfectly